NEWPORT, Ore. – Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport will host its annual science fair and open house from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 13.
Marine Science Day is a free, family-friendly event showcasing the diverse marine research on the Hatfield campus. This year’s theme is “Our Ocean, Our Future,” and the activities and exhibits will highlight the technology researchers use to better understand and monitor the ocean.
More than three dozen hands-on exhibits will feature Hatfield-based scientists who work with state and federal programs. These exhibits showcase research on marine birds and mammals, aquaculture, ocean noise and fisheries. Visitors can learn about ocean engineering, touch crabs and sea stars, look at plankton under microscopes, explore the Hatfield Visitor Center and climb aboard the R/V Kalipi, a 29’ aluminum vessel used in nearshore research.
The keynote talk will be presented by speakers K.C. Bierlich and Clara Bird from the Marine Mammal Institute’s Geospatial Ecology of Marine Megafauna (GEMM) Lab. They will discuss how they use drones as a non-invasive method to study the morphology and health of baleen whales. Both speakers have extensive experience using drone technology to study Antarctic minke whales, humpback whales, and Adelie penguins. This talk will be held from 1 to 2 p.m. in the Carem Ford Phillips Auditorium in the Gladys Valley Marine Studies Building.
Behind-the-scenes tours were expanded due to last year’s overwhelming interest. The tour schedule includes:
- 10:30 and 11:30 a.m.: Hatfield’s Seawater System Tours. Limit 15 people per tour, 45 minutes.
- 11 a.m.: Yaquina Estuary Trail Tour. Two groups simultaneously touring. Limit 20 people per group, 1 hour.
- 10:30 & 11:45 a.m. Vertical Tsunami Evacuation Tours. Limit 20 people per tour, 45 minutes.
- 11 a.m.: Aquaculture Tour, 20 people per tour, 1 hour.
All tours are free, and tickets are given on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets are available in the courtyard area in the Welcome Tent.
The following partners who have labs on the Hatfield campus are participating in Marine Science Day: Oregon State University, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The Hatfield Visitor Center will also be free and open to visitors all day. Hatfield Marine Science Center is at 2030 SE Marine Science Drive, Newport, OR.
About OSU’s Hatfield Marine Science Center: The center is a research and teaching facility located in Newport, Ore., on the Yaquina Bay estuary, about one mile from the open waters of the Pacific Ocean. It plays an integral role in marine and estuarine research and instruction programs, as a laboratory serving resident scientists, as a base for far-ranging oceanographic studies and as a classroom for students. In addition to Oregon State researchers and students, its campus includes research activities and facilities from five different state and federal agencies.